During a trip to Spain, Niki de Saint Phalle discovered the work of Antoni Gaudí and was greatly influenced by it; in particular, Park Güell in Barcelona was of great importance in her decision to build her sculpture garden, also inspiring her to make different materials and found objects the main elements of her art.
Niki de Saint Phalle au Parc Guëll, Barcelone, 1955.
Photo : © inconnu.
Niki de Saint Phalle visits Ferdinand Cheval’s Ideal Palace with Jean Tinguely; he, a postman, had built a palace in Hauterives (Drôme, central France) based on images from his naive imagination. Later, Tinguely would bring the New Realists to the headquarters to learn more about Cheval’s construction.
Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, 31 décembre 1961 (Larry Rivers, Clarice Rivers, John Ashbery, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Larcade)
Photo : © inconnu
Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, 31 décembre 1961 (Larry Rivers, Clarice Rivers, John Ashbery, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Larcade)
Photo : © inconnu
Niki Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely take a trip to California; they visit Watts Towers by Simon Rodia in South Los Angeles.
Niki de Saint Phalle collaborates with others on the Hon project for the Moderna Museet in Stockholm. The giant sculpture causes a worldwide sensation, intensifying Niki de Saint Phalle’s desire to create her own sculpture garden. In Stockholm, Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely meet the young Swiss artist Rico Weber, who will be their assistant and colleague for many years, playing an important role in the creation of the Tarot Garden.
Niki de Saint Phalle began collaborating with polyester specialist Haligon, who created large-format sculptures and multiples for her.
In June, Saint Phalle created the model for the Fontaine-de-Nana, which was enlarged in 1990 and in March 1993 found its place in the Tarot Garden. After being hospitalized for a lung abscess caused by many years of working with polyester, Niki de Saint Phalle remained in St. Moritz for a period of convalescence. There, she met Marella Caracciolo Agnelli again, whom she had met in New York around 1950. Saint Phalle expressed to her friend her dream of creating a sculpture garden based on the symbolism of tarot cards. Later, Marella’s brothers, Carlo and Nicola Caracciolo, provided her with a plot of land on their estate in Garvicchio, Tuscany, where she was able to realize her dream. The Tarot Garden project would occupy Saint Phalle’s thoughts and creative energy for twenty years.
